On Gran Pulse, We're All Family
by Delphi1138
Summary: They'd all lost their families because of being l'Cie. Now they had formed a new one. But who's who in their merry little band? A joke between Hope and Vanille shows that everyone has their place. Even those who don't like the role they've been given.


**Author's Notes: **Derp de derp. Should be working on my other stories. But sometimes you just gotta write something so it'll leave you alone. This is one of those stories. Going through my second full play-through of Final Fantasy XIII I got to this scene and noticed how it conveniently faded out as Vanille was chasing Hope. Well now my twisted mind surely can't leave something like that alone! And that's how I got this. Enjoy. I apologize in advance if anyone seems a little OOC. This was just a little one shot that was clawing at me to get out. Nice of me to share the insanity, yes?

"_I told you. On Gran Pulse, we're all family. You can moan all you like, but you're stuck with us." - Oerba Dia Vanille_

He turned around and looked at her, silver hair tossed lightly by the wind. He was kind of handsome...for a kid. But he was only a few years younger...just a couple really.

"Do something for me will ya? Keep smiling. I...It makes me happy when you smile."

Vanille felt her mouth drop open and a light "Ah!" escaped her lips. She fidgeted with her beads as she took in what he said.

"I-I didn't know you felt that way!" She clapped her hands to her cheeks, feeling the redness spread already. Hope liked it when she smiled? The thought make her...Wait...what was that noise? Was he...He was!

He was laughing! Doubled over laughing! Her hands dropped from her cheeks, hovering at chest level in her confusion. Why was he laughing?

"Wait a minute. You mean you were joking?" Vanille asked, the confusion evident in her voice.

Hope's hand was still stiffing his chuckling as he finally stood up and grinned at the Oerban.

"Now we're even!" He exclaimed with one last laugh before he took off in a sprint back to the main group.

Ahhh!" the confused girl exclaimed as she threw her arms into the air. "Hey! Wait!" Vanille wasn't quite done with him yet. Especially after that. She giggled as she gave chase. "Hey!" Hope slowed then turned around just enough to see what Vanille wanted. After seeing that playful look of revenge cross her features, he turned around and picked up the pace. "Hey Hope! I'm not done with you yet!" Vanille called out, right fist pumping in the air.

"We are _not_ even! You don't play with a girl's heart like that!" Despite the seriousness of her declaration, she couldn't help but giggle as she slowly gained ground. Now what was Hope doing to do? She was ready to make him regret making her heart go all aflutter for some joke!

Hope slid past the group, the rest visibly confused as Vanille continued her chase. Immediately he took refuge behind Lightning, peering out from behind the Amazonian woman at Vanille. Lightning wouldn't let anything happen to him...Right?

"Light, step aside please! I have unfinished business with Hope!" Vanille exclaimed.

"Is that so," Lightning stated, sounding bored with their childish antics. She looked over her shoulder to Hope, just short of rolling her eyes when it became glaringly obvious he was using her as a shield.

"No she doesn't, Light!" Hope countered, grabbing a hold of the woman's left arm. "Nothing at all!" He didn't look to be in terrible distress. Merely playing along with Vanille's game.

"I'm telling!" Vanille squeaked out in her oddly accented voice. "I'm telling Light! I'm going to tell her everything!" She continued in a mockingly singsong fashion. Whatever game they were playing, Lightning wanted no part of it.

"Aha, looks like Lightning gets to play Mommy today," Fang observed with a snicker as she sauntered over to the little argument. Lightning shot a withering glare at Fang as Snow snickered.

"Please don't encourage them..." Lightning replied, her tone weary. She didn't realize she was playing right into Fang's observation.

"Go on now, Mother Lighthing. Tame your stray children. Unless you need Daddy Snow to help you. Or Gramps Sazh if you prefer," Fang continued, a wolfish grin sliding easily to her features.

Sazh crossed his arms and asked indignantly, "Who you callin' Gramps, old lady? Last I checked you were older than me by about five hundred years!"

Fang only continued to grin as she laid a hand on Lightning's shoulder in mock comfort. It was immediately shrugged off. Snow grinned widely as he observed, knowing someone was gonna get a flying fist to the face. He was just happy he wasn't the one that would be on the business end this time.

"And what does that make you?" Lightning asked Fang in complete deadpan, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer.

"Why the cool big sis of course! Face it, I play the role better than you do, Mum," Fang continued to taunt, emphasis added with a point of her finger to "Mother". Clearly the wild woman was enjoying this but Lightning didn't feel like playing.

"Tch. Yeah right..." Lightning muttered. "Hope, I thought you were past the cowering." She continued, now just ignoring Fang.

"Yeah, but girls are scary when they're mad!" Hope exclaimed, inching closer and closer to Lightning's back.

"And what did you do to make Vanille mad?" Lightning continued as she shook her head, not feeling like feeding into this idiotic game.

"He said it made him happy when I smiled! Then said it was a joke and ran off and hid behind you!" Vanille exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her fists were balled up by her chest and her ever present grin hadn't been lost. "And every boy should know that a girls feelings aren't a toy! I'm just here to get even!" She ended with a "hmph!" of finality.

"I see then," Lightning replied as she looked down to Hope. His green eyes were big and she could tell he was trying to pout. The old puppy dogs, hm? Lightning had to admit he was good and she did almost feel sorry for him but no one could beat Serah. Sometimes Lightning swore Serah could cry on demand.

"Well then I suppose he should be punished?" Lightning asked, her tone authoritarian now. If they were going to force her to play this game, she might as well act the part now so they'd leave her alone later. Light looked to Vanille then to Hope then back again to Vanille. She met her eyes a moment and the girls communicated silently.

Vanille's eye's lit up. "Oh yes! Very fitting!"

Hope's mouth dropped open when he realized his protector was turning against him. "Light! You said you and I were partners! Now you're throwing me to the lobos?"

"Vanille's right, Hope. You shouldn't toy with a girl's emotions. And being a good partner is making sure you learn from stupid decisions so they're not repeated," Lightning lectured as she turned about to the boy. Hope backpedaled a bit, staring at Lightning's all too serious face.

"Come on, Light, cut it out! Game's over!" Hope desperately tried, realizing that forcing Light to "play" was a bad idea.

"No it's not, young man," Lightning chided as she grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around. She held her arms still and nodded to Fang. "Grab his feet, I'll take his arms."

"Hey now! Corporal punishment is illegal!" Hope attempted to appeal to Lightning's sense of law.

"Only on Cocoon, lil' bro!" Fang hooted as she easily swept his feet out from under him and Lightning lowered him to the ground. Hope was now caught between the two women, feet held to the ground by Fang and shoulders held in place by Lightning as Vanille crept closer.

"Accept your punishment like a man, Hope!" the ginger haired Oerban declared as she crept closer to the trapped boy. And then she attacked.

"AH! Ha-Hey! Make it stop! Snow! Sazh!" Hope desperately cried out between laughing fits, finally get the mens' attention again. Unfortunately for the tortured boy, Snow and Sazh could only laugh in return. Vanille's "attack" was her skinny fingers mercilessly tickling at Hope's armpits as her high pitched giggles mixed with his desperate laughs.

"Sorry Hope, can't interfere with womens' business," Sazh replied with mock sympathy as a hand went over his heart. "I'll pray for your soul," He continued somberly.

"Hey at least you're not getting a fist to the face, kid. I'd count yourself lucky!" Snow countered as he massaged a still slightly sore spot on his jaw.

"C-c-come on! I-I can't e-even b-b-breath no-AH!" Hope found himself freed as Lightning and Fang let go and he found himself sprawled on the grass staring up at Cocoon. Soon, however, Vanille's smiling face filled his view instead.

"Now we're even!" She chirped happily to her prone victim before skipping away.

Fang stretched and gave a low chuckle. "That was more fun than I thought it would be, eh Mum?" she said, her head tilted over her shoulder towards Lightning.

"I'm not your mom," Lightning said, her annoyance showing through again. "And don't ever call me that again."

Like it or not, all of the l'Cie were a family. Dysfunctional and crazy as any other.


End file.
